A Warrior Fallen
by Rowen Hashiba Of Tenku Co
Summary: The Dynasty is back, but Sage seems to be out of the fight! Can the Ronins win?


A Warrior Fallen, Part One, Chapter One  
By Fallon Sanada  
  
DISCLAIMER:  
I don't own Ronin Warriors. No shameless self-insertion for once, either.  
By the way, I know that I'm decreasing the ages but I only know how it feels for a freshmen (cuz I am one) so I couldn't do them any older than I am. And yes, some of the scenes are from my high school and hometown. Please R&R!  
  
  
Part One- Trembling In The Arms Of Death  
Chapter One- What's Wrong With Sage?  
  
As they walked back from school one day, and they began to pass the curve to their street, Rowen caught the sense that something was up with Sage.  
The blonde boy of fourteen-and-a-half sighed, looking down at the sidewalk as they stepped.  
"What's wrong, Sage?" Rowen asked, tone curious.  
The others knew that something was definately wrong if Rowen thought that something was wrong.  
"Nothing." Sage said simply, "Just a cramp in my shoulder."  
Rowen knew better though. Sage had been telling him about this 'cramp', as he liked to call it, for some time.  
"C'mon, what's wrong buddy?" Kento questioned.  
This time Sage kept quiet, the one eye that showed through his blonde hair half-shut.  
But that night, Rowen would learn that indeed something was wrong.  
Rowen and Sage shared a room, Rowen on one (incredibly messy) side, Sage on the other (very clean) side.  
Rowen was awakened by the sound of someone yelling. He instantly jumped up, trying to see what was going on.  
Sage was sitting upright in his bed, sweating like crazy, his mouth half open from crying out, his one visable eye open wide.  
"Sage what's wrong?" Rowen asked hastily, rushing to the other side of the room and kneeling next to the low bed.  
"N-nothing, Rowen.... I-I'm fine." Sage replied absently, obviously hardly realizing that he was speaking at all.  
Rowen brushed back his friend's blonde hair, getting a good look at him. The kanji of Wisdom glowed dimly on his forhead. Rowen put a palm to the other boy's forhead and instantly his hand recoiled.  
"You're burning up!" Rowen exclaimed, "Sage, what the heck's been going on with you?"  
Sage did not answer, staring into space, his gray eyes locking onto nothing and everything at the same time.  
"Come on, Sage. Talk to me!" Rowen cried desperately, trying to make his best friend react.  
Still Sage said nothing. Rowen started to despair.  
Then the others, wanting to know what all the commotion was about, came in, still dressed in their pajamas.  
"What's going on?" Ryo asked, staring at the scene in front of him: Sage sat upright in his bed, staring at the wall, while Rowen knelt next to the low bed, blue eyes wide with concern.  
"Call 9-1-1. He has a really bad fever and he won't respond to me." Rowen instructed Kento.  
Kento made a mad dash for the telephone, and Cye walked over to where Sage sat.  
"Sage? Can you hear me, Sage? It's Cye." He said softly, using one hand to slowly push Sage back into a lying down position.  
"Is he gonna be alright, do you think?" Rowen asked, his Brooklyn accent tinting the words. Rowen was scared. This was his best friend, lying on the bed like he would never wake up. But he had to.  
"I hope so, Rowen, I hope so.." Cye said. Sage's eyes opened again, and he looked at Rowen weakly.  
"Touma-chan.." Sage whispered hoarsly. Rowen had to lean close to hear the use of his Japanese name.  
"Seiji. What's wrong?" Rowen asked the almost-unconscious boy.  
"T-The Dynasty..... They're h-here..." Sage stuttered weakly, attempting to ignore the pain that inflicted him every time he spoke.  
"What?" Ryo asked, amazed.  
"Th-they're back..."  
"Are they who did this to you?" Cye wanted to know.  
Weakly, Sage nodded, letting out a slight grunt of pain that everyone knew he was trying to cover up.  
"It's gonna be okay.. Don't worry. The Dynasty ain't gonna get you." Rowen said, his hand on his best friend's shoulder, reassuring him.  
Then Sage closed his eyes, and fell into a restless sleep.  
When they got to the hospital, the Ronin Warriors sat (or stood) in the small room with the single white cot, on which a very pale boy with blonde hair lay, eyes closed, an almost-invisable green glow tinting the pale skin of his forehead as the Wisdom Kanji glowed there.  
Rowen sat in the seat next to the bed, getting up every so often to pace around a bit before sitting down again.  
Kento and Ryo sat on one of the couches, while Mia and Cye sat on the other.  
Sage's fever had gotten worse in only a few moments between the ambulance getting there and actually getting to the hospital.  
Extremely worried, Rowen gripped his friend's glowing Kanji ball in one fist, not daring leave it behind lest it retain some of it's healing properties and heal Sage.  
About five days later, Sage had finally recovered, and was let out of the hospital. Rowen was extremely relieved, and had hugged his friend enthusiastically on the day of his release.  
The very next day, Sage said that he was strong enough to go to school, and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.  
When they finally got to school after the long walk there, Rowen (and it was only Rowen) noticed that Sage was sweating a bit. The blue haired boy knew better than to think that Sage was all better just because he said he was. Sage would never let them know if he was hurting, but rather pretend that everything was fine.  
It was during second block (aka hour-and-a-half-long periods. There are four in a day) that they all found out how bad this was.  
Rowen and Sage had the same English class second block, and sat next to each other.  
Sage had been called to the front of the class, but as he stood he looked a little weak. Rowen was worried, but knew that his friend would not appreciate it if he said anything.  
As Sage walked up, he suddenly tripped, his paper falling out of his hand. Rowen was near him in an instant. Sage was unconscious. The fever was back.  
"Call the hospital!" Rowen called loudly, pushing back his friend's blonde hair. Sure enough, his temperature was extremely high, and the green light of the Wisdom Kanji glowed on his forehead.  
When he got to the hospital, Rowen was by Sage's side the whole time, and decided to call Sage's parents.  
He took the phone and dialed the well-known number. Three rings later..  
"Hello?" A young woman answered the phone.  
"Hello? Is Nariko or Hiroto Date there? Who is this?" Rowen asked from the other end.  
"This is Yayoi Date." She replied, and Rowen remembered her as being Sage's older sister, "Who is this? What's wrong?"  
"This is Rowen Hashiba. One of Sage's friends.."  
"He's not here."  
"I know. He's here with me."  
"Where are you?"  
"The hospital."  
"Why?"  
"Sage is very sick. I wanted to let your parents know."  
"Thank you. I'll tell them. Is there anything he needs?"  
"Other than his family and friends, I don't think so."  
"Alright. Arigato. Goodbye."  
"Goodbye." Rowen hung up and went to see his best friend.  
Sage lay again on the cot, almost as pale as the bedsheets but for the small, steady green light of the Wisdom Kanji glowing on his forehead.  
"You're gonna be okay, right, Sage?" Rowen asked his unconscious, fevered friend, "Of course you will. You're Sage. You wouldn't ever give up.... Would you?"  
Rowen was dangerously close to tears, but held on.  
Within the course of three hours, Sage's family was there.  
"How is he?" Hiroto, Sage's father, wanted to know.  
"Not good." Rowen replied, praying that his friend held on.  
"What do you mean 'not good'?" Nariko, Sage's mother, asked. Rowen shook his head.  
"He doesn't look so good." Rowen explained, "And his temperature's back up."  
"Back up?" Yayoi asked, "What do you mean?"  
"He was sick last week like this, but not this bad.." Rowen told them.  
"Is he going to be alright?" Satsuki, Sage's younger sister by two years, asked, her brown eyes wide with concern for her older brother.  
"I don't know..." Rowen admitted, looking back over his shoulder at his friend, who lay on the hospital bed, as pale as the bedsheets, literally, "I just don't know..."  
This fact bothered Rowen. He wasn't used to not knowing things, and it came naturally to him to have all the answers. Now that he didn't have the answers, he felt totally helpless.  
Two days later, Rowen sat in the chair by the bed again. Sage's family came and went, but at the moment they weren't there. Rowen was nearly dozing off, somehow managing to just barely keep his eyes open.  
Suddenly he heard a noise like a strangled gasp, coming from the direction of the hospital bed.  
His eyes opened quickly, and he stood up and ran over to the bed, where Sage sat straight up, one hand over his heart.  
Rowen pressed the emergency switch on the wall. Within seconds Sage was carted away for emergency life-support, and to calm him down.  
No one knew what was wrong with the blonde, only that it wasn't easy to get rid of, whatever it was.  
About two hours later a doctor entered the room where Rowen waited for news on his friend.  
"I'm sorry." The doctor stated. Rowen's midnight-blue eyes widened.  
"What do you mean?" He managed to ask.  
"I'm very sorry, Mr. Hashiba... Sage's fever is worse than ever... He's dying."  
  
End, Part One, Chapter One  
  
  
  
A/N: Hi there! How did you like Chapter One: What's Wrong With Sage? You can e-mail me and my cohorts at RowenHashiba@Hotmail.com and tell me what you think! Please, let me know if you want me to continue this story!!! Or if you don't. I don't know. Just, please, no flames! ^^ Thanx!  
Fallon 


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